Intro
In a major anti-corruption operation, a commercial income tax officer in Hubballi has been arrested by the Lokayukta police for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 6 lakh. The arrest has once again highlighted concerns over corruption within government departments.
Hubballi
According to official sources, the accused officer, identified as Bharath Kumar Heggade, was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe in Hubballi. The operation was conducted by the Lokayukta team following a complaint regarding illegal monetary demands. The officer was reportedly involved in a case linked to irregularities in input tax credit claims.
The complaint was filed by Vishwajit Naik, a deputy commissioner in the commercial taxes department and a native of Ankola. As per reports, Naik had purchased eight tippers in 2019 and claimed an input tax credit of Rs 60 lakh, out of which Rs 34 lakh was utilized. However, the Commercial Taxes Department later alleged that the input tax credit claimed by him was illegal and had been used for purposes other than intended.
Following these allegations, a case was registered and multiple hearings were conducted to investigate the matter. It is reported that the hearing had been scheduled four times earlier, and the latest meeting was the fifth hearing in the case. During this process, the accused officer allegedly demanded Rs 6 lakh from Naik to settle the case and close the proceedings.
Acting on the complaint, the Lokayukta police laid a trap and caught Bharath Kumar Heggade while he was accepting the bribe amount. The operation was carried out under the supervision of Bengaluru Lokayukta SP Shivaprakash Devaraj. A team led by Lokayukta DySP Mallikarjun Chukki, along with officers Pradeep Kumar and Inspector Raju, executed the raid successfully.
The accused officer has been taken into custody, and further investigation is underway. Authorities are also examining whether more officials were involved in the alleged corruption network. The incident has sparked public outrage and renewed demands for stricter vigilance and accountability in government offices to curb corruption.
